Age of Heroes
by kingofthenobodies
Summary: The Hero of Time was killed before he could reach manhood, and darkness has swallowed Hyrule for ten years. The time has come for new heroes to rise, and banish the evil from their lands forever. / No pairings, features Malon, Ruto, Saria and Zelda.
1. Chapter 1

The Legend of Zelda:** AGE OF HEROES**

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

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><p>Malon could faintly hear the rumbling of distant thunder, heralding the approach of another storm. Judging from the smell of the air and the way the bitter wind swept through the almost completely barren fields of Lon Lon Ranch, it was going to be a bad one. She straightened up, slinging her rusty farming tool over her shoulder as she surveyed her family's dying land with a sigh. Still nothing. Just the same as the last two years…the land had all but dried up entirely.<p>

She looked off into the distance, where she could see the thick, black storm clouds churning over Death Mountain. Tendrils of lightning flashed through the clouds, sending another low rumble over the flat plains of Hyrule. Yes, she thought, it would definitely be a bad storm. But it would bring no rain with it. She had learned long ago to stop hoping for rain to come with the horrible storms that had torn through the plains for the last several years. They never brought rain, only more destruction.

Surveying the work she had done in the garden, she heaved another long sigh. She gave her garden everything she could, but it had stopped yielding anything of value a long time ago. Now, she was lucky if she got found a single living seed remaining in the dried up dirt that filled her once bountiful garden.

_Ten years…_she thought, forlornly. _Ten years under Ganondorf. At this rate, I doubt we'll last another five…_

The entire land of Hyrule, not just Lon Lon ranch, was in a state of decay. First the skies had darkened, turning a wicked, burnt shade of orange. It wasn't long before the rain stopped coming altogether, and the fields had barely managed to choke out a crop ever since. Even the river was little more than a muddy stream now. She could remember the days of her childhood, when all kinds of folk would come by the ranch to get a taste of their legendary Lon Lon milk. She had even seen Gorons and Zoras occasionally passing through. But those days were long gone. Now, people rarely mustered up the courage to even leave their homes, let alone to come visit the ranch.

She turned away from the dead patch of earth, walking back towards the house. As she passed through the barn, she placed her garden hoe in the corner and set to work locking up in preparation for the coming storm. First she had to herd in the few remaining animals; they still had a small number of horses and a few cows, but the last of the Cuccos had died a couple years ago.

"Come on, Epona." She murmured, coaxing the flaxen mare along to the stables. Epona had always disliked the confines of the stable, and it was the only time she ever gave Malon any trouble. This time it was easy enough, with the scent of the approaching storm convincing the mare to be led inside without protest.

Lastly, Malon made sure the stable windows were all shut tight, and secured the thick wood and iron bars that would keep them from splintering in the harsh gusts of wind that would soon arrive. The door was next, and she made certain on her way out that it was sealed as tightly as possible.

She frowned. It was getting dark earlier than she'd hoped, and the wind was already beginning to pick up…

"Ingo," she said, addressing the other ranch hand. "Could you make sure the cows are locked up right? I'll go ahead and start shutting up the house."

Ingo nodded, heading off towards the cowshed and grumbling to himself about having to do everything. Malon smiled a little bit. She knew Ingo didn't mean anything by it. He complained a lot, but he had always been a faithful worker. Perhaps it was simply because he had nowhere else to go, but he had still stuck by her and her father these many years, and for that she was thankful.

She sniffed the air. They probably had little more than an hour, maybe two, until the storm was upon them. That would be just enough time to make sure they were ready for it.

Her gaze ventured north once more, and she froze, her face turning pale. There was something else on the horizon, something all too familiar.

_Oh no…_ she thought. _No, please, not now._

"INGO!" She cried. "THEY'RE COMING!"

There was a clatter from the cowshed, and Ingo scrambled out, taking a look for himself. Several black specks were visible a mile or so away, moving with the approaching storm. They were rapidly getting larger, moving with frightening swiftness across the plains and towards the ranch.

"What do we do?" Ingo asked, turning to Malon in a panic. "We don't have anything to give them!"

Malon was silent for a moment. "…Finish getting everything ready for the storm. I'll think of something."

Ingo didn't look convinced, but he obediently carried on with his work.

Malon only lingered for a moment, watching as the black specks became large blots on the field, and then ran into the house. She emerged into the rapidly fading sunlight a few minutes later, clad in the only nice dress she still possessed (it had once belonged to her mother), and took another look. She could clearly make out the figures now, astride their horrible mounts and getting larger by the second. She counted at least fifteen, led by a man in obsidian armor who spearheaded the formation.

Malon took a deep breath, steeling herself for the encounter. This would be unpleasant at best, and at worst…well, she tried not to think about that.

She stepped slowly out of the worn down wall that surrounded the ranch, stopping a few paces outside so that the approaching force could clearly see her. The leader raised his arm, drawing the formation to a halt a few meters away from her.

"A pleasure to see you again, peasant woman." a low, mocking voice emanated from the depths of the helmet.

"Lieutenant Gantzen." She replied evenly, giving a low bow. It was important, she knew, to never display any weakness to this man. Men like him preyed on the weak. Gantzen was the chief overseer for their part of Hyrule, and was in charge of collecting the monthly tributes to Ganondorf. He was also one of the most arrogant bastards she had ever met.

Gantzen surveyed the ranch for a moment, and then looked down at Malon, taking in her appearance. "Such paltry clothes for meeting with a great warlord. Not only does that peasant Talon send a woman out to parley with men, he sends her in nothing but rags! I should punish you now for your insolence!"

"Apologies, Lord." Malon said, trying to keep her voice strong and bowing her head as she addressed Gantzen. "We had no notice of your arrival, and this dress is the best I have. My father has also become very ill, and so I chose to come in his place." _Choose your words carefully… _she reminded 's officers always insisted upon being shown the utmost respect.

Gantzen considered her words for a brief moment. "Hmm, very well." He finally said. "But mark this; you would do well to show more respect in the future, girl, especially to someone of my standing. Now then," He held out his hand. "the tribute."

"M-my Lord." Malon stammered, losing her confidence as the Lieutenant moved his ferocious mount closer, his dark form towering over her. "With my father sick, we haven't had any business at all for the past two weeks. We…we barely have enough to feed ourselves, and we-"

Pain exploded in her forehead and there was a blinding flash of white as Gantzen's boot connected with her face, knocking her to the dirt. She struggled to get up, and then collapsed to the ground once more as the pain overwhelmed her. The taste of blood was heavy in her mouth, and her vision swam as she tried to summon the strength to pull herself up.

"You INSOLENT peasant!" Gantzen hissed, circling the prostrate girl on the horrific creature he rode. "Don't think that you can deny tribute to the great Ganondorf! Those who fail to yield proper tribute will be punished!" he turned to his men, who obediently snapped to attention as he raised his arm to address them. "I want this filthy pigsty razed to the ground. Burn it all!"

"NO!"

Gantzen looked downward as Malon's voice cut through the air. She had finally managed to pull herself upright, and stood on shaky legs as she looked up at the Lieutenant. A bruise was already developing on her face, and blood trickled from her lip.

"Please…" she said, her voice broken up by sobs. In desperation, she abandoned all dignity and sank to her knees before the man, placing her hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please, I beg you. Just give us a little more time! Please sir, this ranch it's…it's all we have. We will pay you, I swear it! We just need more time…"

"Pitiful words, from a pitiful woman." Gantzen scoffed. "The great Ganondorf waits for nobody. If you have no tribute to give, then your ranch will burn, along with your ungrateful father. It serves him right for showing such disrespect." He raised a hand once more, preparing to give the signal to his men, who had lit their arrows and were waiting eagerly for the command to fire.

"Wait!" Malon grabbed onto the Lieutenant's arm, knowing that she only had one choice if she was to save what was left of her family. "If it pleases you, sir, then...I will be the tribute." She could scarcely believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. "Take me to Ganondorf, but please…please don't hurt my family."

Gantzen studied her for a moment, looking over her young, slender form. "Hmmm, yes…you are quite a lovely one, aren't you? Hehe, very well then." He urged his mount closer and roughly grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her up onto the back of his horse. Malon turned away from him, trying to hide the tears building up in her eyes. What had she just done?

Gantzen tilted his head to the side. "Burn it!" he barked.

"What?" Malon cried.

"You're far too pretty to waste away in one of the great Ganondorf's cells." Gantzen said, his sardonic sneer evident in his tone. "I think you'd fare much better in my own castle, dear girl." The sound of arrows assaulted her ears, and she saw the streaks of flame go flying over the walls of her home. "Pity about your farm, though…but that's what happens when they can't give a proper tribute."

Malon screamed and started beating at the figure in front of her mercilessly, bruising her fists as she did so. Gantzen simply laughed, striking her again in the face with the back of his armored hand. This time she made no sound, but another cut was already plain on her left cheek.

"Make sure there's nothing left but ashes." He said to his nearest henchman as he wheeled his mount around. "When it's all burned, raise our standard in the center of the remains. That should remind the peasants around here just who they're dealing with."

"Yes sir." The soldier replied with a grin, moving forward and lighting his own arrow. Malon thought she could hear Ingo shouting something from inside the ranch, and the air was already thick with the stench of smoke…

"Well, that went rather nicely." Gantzen said, turning his head to look back at her. She merely glared in reply, praying that he didn't notice her reaching into her boot. "I get a nice little compensation for my troubles, and you get to keep living. You see, we all get what we-GYAAAH!"

He let out a scream as Malon's dagger found a chink in his armor, just below the shoulder. She'd kept the blade hidden in her boot for years now, knowing that Ganondorf's "generosity" couldn't last forever. She gave the dagger a twist for good measure and threw herself off the creature, rolling as she hit the earth and stumbling to her feet. Not even pausing to catch her breath, she took off at a sprint for the open gate.

"KILL HER!" She heard the lieutenant's pained bellow, followed by the sounds of clattering steel as the soldiers dismounted and drew their swords. Her head was still swimming from Gantzen's blows and her lungs were burning for the air lost in her fall, but she ran as fast as her legs would carry her until she was through the gates. She could hear them behind her, taunting her as they drew ever closer.

Parts of the ranch were already burning; the old building where they used to keep their Cuccos had been half consumed by flames, and the fire was starting to spread through the large open field that made up most of their land.

She was almost to the house now. Once inside, they might be able to make an escape out the back…

As she sprinted up the steps to the porch, her foot snagged on the last wooden plank and she felt a searing pain in her ankle as the floor rose up to meet her. What little air she had left was knocked out of her, and she lay there for a few seconds gasping for precious air as she heard the soldiers approaching.

"Hey, she IS a pretty one, ain't she, boys?" One of them jeered.

"She certainly is!" Another agreed. "Think Gantzen'd let us have a little fun with her before we finish her off?"

"No…" Malon breathed, unable to move with the pain spreading through her body. "No, please…"

"Well, what he doesn't know won't hurt him!" said a third with a horrid, high-pitched laugh.

"No, don't…" she repeated, a little louder as she attempted to pull herself up. She failed miserably; her arm trembled and ceased to support her, sending her plunging back down to the wooden floor.

"Hey, look! She's still got a little fight in her!" She heard the mocking voice of the third soldier.

"Good, I like it when they squirm a little bit!" The first replied. He started to say something else, but there was a sharp _twang_and his words were replaced with a harsh gurgling sound.

When Malon dared to look up, she saw the soldier staring down in shock at the arrow in his chest before he collapsed.

"You stay away from my daughter!"

Malon turned to the source of the familiar voice, and her face broke out into an astonished smile. "Daddy!" She cried, her voice breaking.

The man above her was definitely her father, but he felt different somehow. He was still visibly sick, but he held himself upright as best he could, keeping a tight grip on his bow as he set another arrow to the string. Despite his worn and tired face, there was a fierce look in his eyes, a look that Malon had never imagined possible from her father. Ingo stood behind him, nervously clutching a pitchfork.

"Oye, you fat bastard!" One of the soldiers yelled. "You drop your weapon and get back in your little cabin!"

Talon said nothing, simply drawing his bowstring back in reply.

"He's not gonna listen." Said another. "Gotta do everything the hard way, these peasants." The soldiers all got into their battle-ready positions, adjusting their grips on their swords and preparing to charge. It was just a question of who would make the first move.

"Mal," her father whispered so that only she could hear. "You have to run. Take Epona and get as far away from here as you can."

"Daddy, no!" She whispered back. "Not without you! We can all make it if we-"

"Malon, listen to me." He hissed. "I'll never make it like this…I can barely stand as it is. You have to go alone."

She opened her mouth to argue again, but she knew he was right. Fighting back tears, she nodded her head once to show she understood.

"That's my girl." Her father said. "As soon as I tell you to, you run."

The soldiers began to step closer, reaching just a few paces from the porch.

"Ingo," Talon looked behind him, addressing the other man. "It's been a pleasure." The old ranch-hand nodded solemnly, visibly gulping as he brought his feeble weapon up to a defensive position.

"I love you, Malon." Talon released the bowstring, the whipping of the arrow accompanied by his harsh cry: "RUN!"

Malon wasn't sure how, but she was somehow able to muster the strength to get to her feet and take off at an unsteady run for the stables. Her ankle was still consumed by pain, and she could tell it was fractured, if not broken, but she forced it out of her mind. The swiftly darkening sky was filled with an orange glow as the fires continued to spread across the ranch, and the stench of smoke threatened to choke her as she ran across the homestead. She was moving on pure adrenaline now, and could only pray that it would be enough.

She tried to block out the horrible sounds of battle behind her, but even worse was when the noise ceased a few moments later. The tears she had been fighting back earlier streamed down her face as she threw open the stable doors and ran to where Epona was kept. She could hear a new sound now, the sound of soldiers running in her direction. Fumbling and struggling with the ropes, she hastily untied her horse and threw the nearest saddle across Epona's back. The soldiers were getting louder.

"Everything's okay, Epona…" She wasn't sure if she was trying to comfort herself or the horse. "We have to go now…" her voice was broken up by sobs as she stroked the mare's neck before painfully pulling herself up and into the saddle. As she turned to face the barn door, she could see the silhouettes of armored soldiers appear in the doorway, swords drawn.

It was now or never.

She dug her heels into Epona's side, urging the horse forward with a _yah!_ The soldiers scattered as the powerful animal barreled toward them and Malon burst into the open air, now thick with smoke and the hiss of approaching flames. Knowing that they didn't have much time before the fires overtook the entire ranch, she wheeled her mount around and made a break for the ranch gates. She didn't dare look in the direction of the house, instead focusing on her objective. Only one thing was important now: escape. Making sure her father and Ingo hadn't made a pointless sacrifice. She was almost to the gates when she saw him.

Gantzen.

Flanked by five guards, the mounted warlord was clenching her dagger tightly in his fist, the blade still glistening with his own blood. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew without looking that there was murder in them.

Malon didn't even slow down, giving the reigns a snap to push Epona onward, and Gantzen had only a split second to throw himself clear with a startled cry before Epona's spectacular leap carried her through right where his helmet had been!

"After her! Bring her to me!" Gantzen's rapidly fading voice shouted, and she looked back to see the soldiers turning to give chase. Behind them, the entire ranch was now engulfed in flames, casting a ferocious glow into the night. Unbidden tears stung her eyes as she turned her face away from her burning home and urged her steed on.

Lightning split the sky above her, followed swiftly by a booming thunderclap and a frightened noise from Epona, and she suddenly realized that she had absolutely no plan. Not only was there nowhere safe from Ganondorf's troops, there was no place to take shelter from the impending storm! She was absolutely trapped…

_No!_ She scolded herself. _No, I can't just give up. I __**won't.**_ There had to be a place somewhere that Ganondorf's minions would have a hard time reaching her…

And then she saw it. Just a dark smudge on the edge of her vision, barely visible in the gathering night, but she knew what it was.

Kokiri forest.

_But that's suicide…_she said to herself. _The place is full of monsters!_ A harsh yell from behind forced her to turn her head, and she saw Gantzen's soldiers growing ever closer. Choosing the lesser of two evils, she decided that she would have to take her chances with the forest. _I just hope I know what I'm doing…_

"Come on, girl!" She urged, leaning in close to Epona's neck to reduce the wind resistance. The forest began to grow closer, an increasingly large area of black against the dark brown of the sky. It looked so ominous that Malon almost changed her mind, but she knew there was no other choice. Finally, the forest took up almost the whole of her vision, and they were only a few meters away. She took a deep breath to prepare herself, and they plunged into the darkness.

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><p>The pursuing soldiers came to a halt, their mounts roaring and clawing at the ground in discomfort at being so close to the murky forest.<p>

"…Do we follow her?" One of them spoke up, confusion evident in his voice.

"What, in there?" Another answered. "Are you crazy? She's as good as dead."

"Gantzen'll be upset if we don't bring her back…"

"Forget it. I ain't goin' in there for anybody."

They all wheeled their mounts around, some pausing for a last glance into the depths of the forest before taking off once again towards the ranch.

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><p>Malon wasn't sure if she was still being followed, but she didn't dare slow down to find out. The claustrophobic pathways of the forest seemed to swallow up the sound of Epona's hooves pounding the dirt as they ran further and further in. Darkness had closed in on them almost immediately after entering Kokiri forest, and Malon could barely see the trees surrounding her, let alone the worn out path she was trying to follow. <em>But then,<em> she thought,_ if I can't see, then neither can they._ She was just about to slow down when she heard a shrill howl that made her blood run cold. The feral sound came from somewhere off to her right, but was soon joined by others, surrounding her with the terrifying wails.

_Wolfos._

"Epona, GO!" She cried, sheer panic in her voice, and the horse needed no further encouragement. They ran at breakneck speed through the forest, dodging trees and jumping logs at every turn, but the howls of the pack just kept getting closer. Malon felt tears in her eyes again. _Not like this, please, Goddesses, not like this!_

Her eyes snapped up just in time to see the branch that caught her across the stomach, forcing all the air from her lungs and sending her hurling to the ground. Dirt filled her mouth, and she was dimly aware of Epona running back to her and neighing loudly at the sudden loss of her rider. The adrenaline rush that had been driving her was all but dissipated now, and she had the sudden urge to just go to sleep and forget about everything that had happened. The corners of her vision were already blurring and turning dark. She feebly clawed at the dirt, an image of her father filling her mind before her head sank to the ground. The howls still oppressed her ears, growing louder and louder, but she found it strangely hard to care now.

Epona gave a whinnying sound, and Malon felt a pair of small hands on her shoulders as she was turned over onto her back. Somebody else was with her, she thought, but she just didn't have the energy to lift her head and find out. The last things she was aware of were a strange floating light and a glimpse of something green before vision failed her and everything went black.

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><p><strong>End Chapter One<strong>

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><p>This story began as simply a more mature retelling of the Ocarina of Time, with Malon as co-star, and some of you might remember its earlier incarnation since the first part of this chapter remains largely unchanged. Well, when I was writing chapter two I came down with a terrible case of writers block, and finally decided that I didn't like the earlier direction I'd taken the story in. Retellings of the games are all too common on this site, and I wanted a story in which I could really flesh out the characters in my own way. And so, this was born: An alternate universe story in a world where Link failed to save the day and never even got the chance to grow to adulthood. How would the world have changed, I thought? How would the characters? So I came up with a scenario where the secondary characters of Ocarina of Time rise up and take matters into their own hands.<p>

Obviously a few things are different here: Zora's domain was never frozen over, the temples have no prominent role in the story, people still inhabit Castle Town, etc. More details will be revealed later on in the story, but it would be wise to treat this as fairly AU. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I've got some ambitious plans for this story, so please let me know what you think of it!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

"Saria!" Her fairy shouted in her ear for the umpteenth time, prompting a swatting motion from the green-haired girl. "Will you come back already? We really shouldn't be out here! Mido said-"

"I KNOW what Mido said, Lori." Snapped the girl, quickening her pace. "But we can't just sit around in the village forever. You've noticed it, too! The monsters are getting bolder. Before long we won't even be able to keep them out!" The fairy shuddered at the thought, finally catching up with Saria and reclaiming her perch on the Kokiri's shoulder.

"Alright," the green orb replied. "I understand that. But even so, what could you possibly do about it? And WHY can't it wait until morning?"

"Mido would never let me leave the village, you know that. It's better that he never finds out about any of this. Besides, it's just a feeling."

"A feeling that could get us both killed…" the fairy muttered, falling silent when Saria shot her a glare.

"You don't have to come, you know."

"What, and leave you by yourself? Ha, you wouldn't last five minutes!"

Saria repressed a smile at her companion's display of bravado. She knew her antics were just a way of showing that she cared; she may have been loud and annoying at times, but she was a constant friend.

"So what is this_ feeling_, anyway?"

"…I don't really know how to explain it." Saria replied, pausing for a moment to find the right words. "I just…I just _know_ that there's something out here that can help us. Please don't ask me what."

"Swell." The fairies sarcasm was tangible. "So how will you know when you find it?"

"I guess I'll just know. Now come on, we have to move quickly."

The two fell silent as they began to delve deeper into the forest, swiftly losing sight of the village. Any unnecessary noise would just draw attention to them, and attention was one of many things they didn't want from the creatures that lurked in the darkened woods; Skulltulas and Wolfos were no longer the worst perils the forest had to offer.

For nearly an hour they walked. Saria wasn't worried about getting lost (she knew this forest just as well as she knew the village), but she WAS concerned about the lack of movement. Under normal circumstances they would have never gotten this far without seeing monsters.

Lori had apparently noticed it, too. "Shouldn't we have…you know, SEEN something by now?" The fairy asked.

"You're right…" She agreed. "It's so quiet in here. It's almost…unnatural. Where IS everything?"

The silent forest offered no reply, and Saria decided to make use of their good fortune and press on. For another ten minutes, they hardly heard a sound.

"Saria…" Lori began. "I don't think we're gonna have any luck tonight. Maybe we should-"

The fairy's sentence was cut off by a chilling sound. Saria knew that sound all too well; it was the hollow cry of a Wolfo. Within a few moments the howl had been taken up by nearly half a dozen of the sinister creatures, sending a shiver down Saria's spine.

"Wolfos!" Lori all but shrieked. "That settles it, we're turning around! They must have picked up our scent!"

"No…" Saria replied, listening intently to the cries. "It isn't us they're after…"

The next second she was gone, running full tilt through the forest with her fairy tailing frantically behind.

"Saria, wait! Come back!" The fairy called, straining to keep up. "It's too dangerous!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears, and the Kokiri girl didn't even slow down. On they ran, following the now frenzied sounds of the pack. Saria couldn't even begin to explain why she was running _towards_ the sounds of creatures she knew could tear her apart, but for some reason every fiber of her being was telling her that this was the right way to go. She had felt a deep connection with the forest since she was a little girl, and its guiding voice had never once steered her wrong. She wasn't about to stop following it now.

The sounds of the ferocious predators seemed to be all around them now, and Saria fought back another shudder as she grit her teeth and ran even faster. Finally, they came to an old dirt road that ran through the forest. It had been so long since she had dared come this far from the village that Saria had almost forgotten that there ever _were _roads connecting Kokiri forest with the rest of Hyrule. Her instincts told her to stop here, and wait.

Within a matter of seconds there came a new sound, almost drowned out by the Wolfos, and Saria gasped as a horse rounded the corner at breakneck speed. She could dimly make out the form of its rider. _A Hylian? Here, after all these years? _

The woman was riding so fast that she didn't even notice the tree limb in her path, and Saria had no time to warn her before the limb had caught her across the gut and knocked her violently to the ground. Saria winced, watching as the horse circled back around to the rider, who made one feeble attempt to get up and then fell still.

"Come on," Saria shouted, "we have to help!" Her decision made, she immediately jumped up from her hiding place and took off at a sprint towards the fallen rider, ignoring the protests of her fairy companion. Upon reaching the unmoving form of the woman she knelt down to examine the damage, turning the woman over onto her back for a better look. The Hylian's breathing was shallow and uneven, and she was running a high fever. _Goddesses, she's completely spent._

"This isn't good…" Saria muttered to herself. "She'll never even make it to her feet like this…Lori! See if you can find-"

She was roughly cut off by a loud snarl as three Wolfos leapt onto the road in front of them, swiftly joined by others. Her survival instincts told her that now was the time to run, but something else held her back. She wasn't about to abandon the Hylian woman to these creatures! Somehow, she knew that this was the reason the forest had called her out here. She slowly got to her feet, prepared to face the monsters, but something was strange…

"…They're not attacking?" Lori questioned, daring to peek out from behind Saria's hair. It was true; the Wolfos hadn't moved an inch since they had appeared on the path, instead sitting back and watching her.

Saria said nothing, trying to determine what the creatures were doing. They couldn't be waiting for the rest of their pack, there were more than enough already to overpower her. So why did they hesitate?

The Wolfos tilted their heads to the side as a soft wind blew through the woods. Then, as one, they turned and slunk back into the shadows.

"Saria…what in the world was that?" She heard her fairy croak, although it took her several moments to find her voice again.

"I don't know…" she replied, looking down once again at their unconscious visitor. "I really don't. But we can't stay here. We have to get her back to the village."

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><p>Malon was faintly aware of two voices shouting back and forth. Her head was throbbing too much for her to open her eyes, but she caught snatches of the conversation that was apparently being held nearby. One voice was aggressive and loud, and definitely male. The other sounded female, and was much quieter.<p>

_Where am I?_ The sudden thought sprung up in her mind. _How did I get here?_ She strained her memory, trying to recall any events that may have led up to this, but came up with nothing. Her head hurt too much for her to properly rack her brain. All she could really think of doing was going back to sleep…

The voices would just have to wait.

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><p>"How you could you bring an outsider here without first consulting me?"<p>

"She was DYING, Mido! What else could I do, leave her to the Wolfos?"

"Better than bringing her here! What if she was followed? What were you even doing out there after dark? You know how dangerous the forest is at night!"

Saria grunted in frustration, throwing her hands in the air as she stalked away from an extremely irate Mido. "I don't expect YOU to understand." She replied icily. "I've told you a thousand times that we can't just sit here and do nothing! I went into the forest because something told me that I'd find answers out there tonight. I followed my instincts, and they led me straight to her! It has to be a sign!"

"You and your signs! Feelings or no, I can't just let you go wandering off like that! What if something had happened to you?"

She had decided that it would be best not to tell Mido how close the Wolfos had gotten, since that would only serve to make him more upset.

"Mido…" She began quietly, and the Kokiri in question gradually simmered down and turned to face her. "I can't really explain it, but…it's as if the forest itself is trying to guide me through all this. I can _feel _its' voice telling me what to do, and I just _know_ that she's come to us for a reason. So please, Mido. Just help me look after her?"

Mido heaved an exasperated sigh. "Alright." He relented. "Alright fine. You know I trust you. But _you're_ in charge of her. If she brings any trouble in here-"

"I know, I know." Saria gave him a reassuring smile. "Thank you."

Mido made his exit then, still grumbling a little to himself, leaving her alone with her new charge.

"Well, that went well." Lori dryly observed.

"At least he gave in." Saria evenly replied. "Sure he'll be mad for a while, but you know him. Within a couple days he'll find something else to be mad about, and he'll forget all about this."

"Call me crazy, but I don't really see even Mido just forgetting about this."

Lori had a point. It had been years upon years since any outsider had come close to the borders of Kokiri forest, let alone been brought inside. She knew Mido wouldn't keep something like this to himself, and before the day was out the entire village would probably know. They would never go so far as to force the woman out, but they would definitely be wary of the newcomer. She would have to be very careful.

"So…" the fairy mused, flitting back across the room and looking down at the unconscious Hylian. "What do we do with her?"

She had been bandaged up a great deal, but it would be a few days before her minor wounds mended properly and weeks before she could really get on her feet again. Saria had no idea what this girl had been through, but it had certainly taken its' toll on her body. The woman's ankle was broken, her face was badly bruised, and her fall from the horse had left a series of nasty cuts and bruises across her body. On top of that, she had simply exhausted herself very nearly to the point of death. Saria had applied her best healing salves to the worst of the cuts, but there was only so much she could do for her patient while she still slept. More than anything, right now she needed to eat.

"I guess we'll just have wait until she wakes up," Saria replied, "and then go from there."

* * *

><p>When Malon next opened her eyes, the first thing she was aware of was how much she hurt. Everything, from her head all the way down to her legs and feet, felt as though a horse had just trampled it.<p>

_Horse? That reminds me…_

"Epona…" she breathed, her eyelids fluttering open and squinting in the light. Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember where she was and came up with nothing. As her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she became aware of two things. One, she had never seen this room before. And two, judging from the sunlight creeping in through the nearby window, it had to be at least mid-day. Through her still somewhat bleary vision she surveyed the room she now found herself in. It was very plain, with few decorations aside from some pottery and carpets. The curtains were thrown open to allow in the sun, but her vision had not yet cleared enough for her to see what lay beyond the window.

"Oh, good! You're awake!"

The jumped at the sound of the new voice and attempted to sit up, instantly regretting this action and clutching her head as a fiery pain exploded behind her forehead.

"Easy does it…" She felt a pair of small hands on her shoulders, coaxing her back down onto her bed, and heard the unfamiliar voice comforting her. "Your body needs to rest, so you can't be moving too quickly like that. Now, let's try again. Slowly this time."

Her eyes were still clamped shut against the pain, but she slowly nodded her head. The stranger gently placed a hand behind her head, raising it off the bed just enough to slide an extra pillow underneath and bring Malon into something resembling a sitting position. She finally opened her eyes again, and had to take a moment to process what she was seeing.

It was a little girl! Clad entirely in green (even her hair!), the girl was sitting cross-legged on the bed in front of her, and looked as though she couldn't be much more than ten. She gave Malon a soft smile, offering her a spoonful of broth.

"We'll start you off with this, and then see how you feel, okay?"

Still confused, but far too hungry to protest, Malon eagerly accepted the spoonful offered to her, and the one after that, and the one after that. Before long the bowl was emptied, and Malon could have sworn she felt the warmth of the broth seeping into her bones.

"There!" said the girl, jumping off the bed to set the utensils on a nearby table. "I added some special herbs to lessen the pain, so you should be a bit more comfortable until tonight, at least. Do you feel any better?"

"Uh…yes, actually, I do." Malon weakly replied, shocked by how frail her voice sounded. "Thank you."

The girl simply smiled, returning to the bed and sitting down in front of Saria as before. "My name's Saria." She said. "What's yours?"

"…Malon."

"Malon." Saria repeated, regarding the red-haired woman with interest. "That's a pretty name. Oh! I almost forgot! Lori!" the girl called out. "She's awake, you can come back in!"

A small ball of green light flew into the room, alighting on Saria's shoulders.

"This is Lori, my fairy!" said Saria. "I had asked her to leave until you were fully awake so her light wouldn't bother you."

"Wha…Fairy?" Malon questioned, staring at the strange orb. "So then…are you from the forest?"

"Wow, she must've hit her head harder than we thought." Said Lori. "She doesn't even remember coming here!"

Saria nodded, turning back to Malon. "You were half dead when we found you. If it hadn't been for your horse, we may not have even been able to bring you back here."

"When you found me?" Malon's head was throbbing again. "Found me where?"

"In the forest, don't you remember?"

Malon pursed her lips, trying to focus. "I remember…riding. And…fire. I remember…" and then it came back to her. All of it. She remembered Gantzen, and she remembered every detail about that final night, but most of all…most of all she remembered the last view she ever had of her father.

Tears sprang up in her eyes, and before she knew it she had collapsed into Saria's arms. "Oh, daddy…" she barely managed to choke out, before her sobbing cut off all other speech.

The Kokiri was startled at first, but quickly wrapped a pair of comforting arms around her, gently stroking her back with motherly care. "It's okay…" she whispered, knowing that Malon just had to let it all out. "It's alright, just let it go…let it go…"

Malon wasn't sure how long the two of them lay there like that. All she knew was that, at some point, she had stopped crying and an oppressive fatigue had once again taken hold of her. Her eyelids were so heavy that she barely even noticed Saria laying her on the pillow once more and tucking her back into bed before she fell into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>The green-haired girl watched with genuine sympathy as Malon fell asleep almost instantly. She had cried for nearly an hour, never so much as speaking a word. Never had Saria seen someone so grief-stricken.<p>

"You poor girl…" she breathed, moving to close the curtains in order to give Malon some much needed darkness. "What on earth happened to you?"

Once the curtains had been drawn, she made her exit on quiet feet, noiselessly closing the door and leaving the Hylian to her rest. She honestly had no idea what the coming weeks had in store for this woman. She would certainly be bedridden for a while, and shelter wasn't much of a problem, but Saria wasn't sure how long the Hylian would be able to stay, or what sort of trouble might follow.

_I wish you were here, Great Deku Tree,_ she thought._ You always knew what to do._

Well, one thing was for sure: These next few days would be very interesting.


End file.
